Chapter 310: The Glorious Armored Grenadier Battalion
Padi Tu gazed at the familiar faces before him, a faint smile playing on his lips. "Heh... heh... Your Rabbitness... has returned."
Li Daoxuan was currently perched at the edge of the diorama box, enjoying some Geleshan spicy chicken. He was pleased to see Padi Tu had awakened, but watching the man preen so soon after waking, he couldn't resist a playful jab. "Yiye, tell everyone, this is what they call, 'Good deeds often go unrewarded, while scoundrels live forever.'"
Gao Yiye was in high spirits. Hearing the Heavenly Lord's deliberately mischievous, San Shier-esque emphasis on the proverb, she chuckled. With a grin, she announced to everyone, "The Heavenly Lord has issued a divine decree: good deeds often go unrewarded, while scoundrels live forever."
Everyone laughed. "It seems Padi Tu is a scoundrel, alright."
"Does that even need 'looking into'? Haven't we always known?"
"Haha, exactly! He's always been Gao Family Village's biggest menace."
"I'm in Gao Family Village now?" Padi Tu asked. "Ah? Where is Mr. Bai? Is he alright?"
Everyone laughed. "Mr. Bai is fine."
Li Daoxuan declared, "Padi Tu fought bravely and performed a great service. He is awarded one hundred taels of silver. However, as his penalized wages from overturning the grain cart haven't been fully deducted yet, the silver will be confiscated and added to the village treasury."
Padi Tu heard this, but he didn't care in the slightest. He truly didn't value money, his sole focus being to champion justice. So what if his wages were penalized? He had enough to eat and warm clothes, completely content with his basic necessities.
Suddenly, he remembered something else. "Right? What about those four brothers on guard duty?"
At his question, everyone's expressions turned somber.
Padi Tu understood, clenching his fists. "Who was it?"
Gao Chuwu said, "It was Wang Zuogua's men."
Padi Tu realized, "Wang Zuogua. The horse-stealing incident last time, he wanted revenge on us, but he didn't know who we were, so he targeted Mr. Bai of Bai Family Fortress."
"Precisely, that's exactly the situation," Cheng Xu interjected from the side. "The Heavenly Lord is angered and has already issued a pre-war mobilization order. Once our military preparations are complete, we will march into Huanglong Mountain and eliminate Wang Zuogua and his gang."
"I'm going too," Padi Tu declared.
"Of course you are, you definitely can't be left out of this," Gao Chuwu said. "But you're in no condition right now. Get well quickly."
Padi Tu demanded, "Medicine, quickly, give me medicine! More, double the dose! Your Rabbitness needs to recover immediately!"
Everyone grumbled angrily in unison, "Taking double the dose will just kill you faster, not heal you quicker."
Li Daoxuan knew this fellow couldn't stand idleness and certainly wouldn't obediently lie in bed recovering. If he ran around, his wounds might tear open again. Shaking his head, he ordered, "Get him a wheelchair, like Zhuge Liang's, and have Zheng Gouzi push him around."
This was no challenge for Gao Family Village. The next day, the wheelchair was ready. Padi Tu was helped into it, and Zheng Gouzi pushed him, finally emerging from the sickroom.
Breathing the fresh air, Padi Tu's spirits lifted.
His gaze immediately fell upon a group of people outside the barracks, throwing grenades. These were practice grenades, filled with sand instead of explosives, identical in shape and weight to real ones.
Gao Chuwu and Zheng Daniu stood at the front of the group. With a powerful swing of their arms, their grenades flew over twenty zhang, leaving the greenhorns behind them utterly bewildered.
Gao Chuwu grinned broadly. "Alright, your turn! The Heavenly Lord said that anyone who can't throw it beyond fifteen zhang will not be recruited. Whether you can become a glorious 'Armored Grenadier' depends on your skill!"
At this, the men behind him let out cheers, eagerly rolling up their sleeves.
It turned out Li Daoxuan had issued a divine decree to establish the new Armored Grenadier Battalion. This unit would only accept tall, strong men who could wear heavy armor and had sturdy shoulders and powerful arms to hurl grenades far. The physical requirements were exceptionally strict.
As such, becoming an "Armored Grenadier" became synonymous with being a formidable warrior.
Existing soldiers, young men from the village who hadn't yet enlisted, and even young men transferred from the county's large militia now saw "becoming an Armored Grenadier" as a way to prove themselves.
A burly man immediately stepped forward. "Brother Chuwu, let me try first!"
"Good!" Gao Chuwu handed him a training grenade.
The burly man bellowed a few strange cries, swung his arm with all his might, and the training grenade whooshed through the air, easily clearing the twenty-zhang marker.
Everyone cheered in unison. "Amazing!"
Gao Chuwu grinned. "Pass! Next!"
The next man was not as physically imposing; he appeared quite slender, not the powerful type. When he picked up the grenade, he felt a bit uncertain, but he still gave it his all, let out a roar, and threw the grenade.
Gao Chuwu declared, "Fourteen zhang, you're out!"
The man collapsed to the ground in a heap, utterly defeated.
Seeing this, Padi Tu immediately grew eager to try. "Ah, let Your Rabbitness have a go! Your Rabbitness's strength is exceptional; a casual toss, and it'll fly at least fifty zhang!"
Zheng Gouzi broke into a sweat and quickly held him down. "Don't mess around! In your current state, if you exert yourself at all, all your wounds will burst open, and you'll bleed to death!"
But Padi Tu was the "scoundrel" personally appointed by the Heavenly Lord, not so easily restrained. He twisted his body, slipping from under Zheng Gouzi's arm, and fell to the ground, crawling forward with difficulty. "Let Your Rabbitness... let Your Rabbitness throw a grenade..."
Watching this, Li Daoxuan found himself both amused and exasperated. This fellow.
Zheng Gouzi grew annoyed. He dragged Padi Tu up, tied him to the wheelchair with a rope, and then clapped his hands. "Let's see you cause trouble now."
"Your Rabbitness can do it!" Padi Tu insisted.
Zheng Gouzi glared. "Say another word, and I'll gag you."
"......."
That silenced him.
Zheng Gouzi pushed Padi Tu's wheelchair past the grenadier selection camp and to the other side of the barracks, where he saw a large group of flintlock riflemen, practicing desperately with their weapons.
Their movements were monotonous: "load," "fire," "load," "fire"—repeated endlessly.
No one knew how many days they had been practicing, but all their movements were already highly proficient. They could fire a shot in roughly the time it takes to blink thirty times.
Next to this group was a conspicuous figure, clad in flowing white robes: Bai Yuan. He, too, held a flintlock rifle, diligently practicing the loading and firing routine.
The moment Padi Tu saw Bai Yuan, he was overjoyed. "Mr. Bai! It's good that you're safe!"
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